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MONDAY, Aug. 20, 2012 (MedPage Today)
— Burnout is significantly more common in physicians —
particularly for those on the front line of care — than it is among
the general U.S. work force, researchers found.

Some 37.9 percent of physicians said they experienced burnout symptoms
and 40.2 percent said they were dissatisfied with their work-life balance,
versus 27.8 percent of those in the general U.S. work force experiencing
burnout symptoms and 23.2 percent who said they felt overworked, a significant
difference, according to Tait Shanafelt, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, and
colleagues.

The study also found that healthcare professionals practicing in
fields providing front-line care, such as emergency medicine, were at
significantly greater risk than other fields for burnout, the researchers
reported online in the Archives of Internal
Medicine.

The study evaluated rates of burnout and job satisfaction among 7,288
U.S. physicians (27 percent of the invited sample) and compared scores between
specialties and with a sample of the U.S. general work force. Respondents
tended to be older and graduated from medical school longer ago than the total
physician population.

Burnout symptoms were identified as emotional exhaustion,
depersonalization, and low sense of personal accomplishment, and measured
through a 22-item questionnaire.

The control group of 3,442 U.S. citizens in the general work force,
ages 22 to 65, were sampled through a questionnaire delivered by phone, mail,
and Web that included questions on age, sex, occupation, relationship status,
current employment status, hours worked weekly, and educational attainment, as
well as the burnout and satisfaction questions.

Also among physicians, 36.9 percent said work did not leave enough
time for personal or family life.

Compared with the general population, healthcare professionals worked
a median 10 hours more a week (50 versus 40 hours), and 37.9 percent of
physicians reported working 60 or more hours, versus 10.6 percent of the
general population.

Of the general work force sample, 23.5 percent were at higher risk for
emotional exhaustion, 15 percent were at elevated risk for depersonalization,
and 27.8 percent were at risk for overall burnout, which all were significantly
lower than rates for general healthcare professionals.

Only 23.1 percent of nonphysician workers said they weren't satisfied
with their work-family balance.

Healthcare professionals practicing dermatology were significantly
less likely to suffer from burnout.

The investigators concluded that the burnout rate among U.S.
healthcare professionals was "at an alarming level," with
"physicians in specialties at the front line of care access" at
greatest risk. These risks were coupled with longer hours and greater
difficulty balancing work with personal life.

"These results suggest that the experience of burnout among
physicians does not simply mirror larger societal trends," they wrote,
adding that additional research should focus on identifying personal,
organization, and societal interventions for work-related burnout.

The authors noted a number of limitations in their study, including
low participation from healthcare professionals, the cross-sectional nature of
the survey, and the younger age of those in the general population control
group.

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